PPP convention elects former interim chief Han Dong-hoon as party's newest leader

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, shakes hands with Han Dong-hoon, left, the new People Power Party leader, during a national convention held at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on Tuesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS] The conservative People Power Party (PPP)'s former interim chief, Han Dong-hoon, was decisively elected his party's new leader at its national convention in Gyeonggi on Tuesday. Han received 62.8 percent of the vote, ending the election in the first round by overwhelming his competitors in a four-way race that included Rep. Na Kyung-won, Land Minister Won Hee-ryong and Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun. "As long as I am the party leader, I won't put you in harm's way. Instead, I will face the challenges head-on and lead you through them," Han said in his acceptance speech at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi. "Today, we push through the storm and move toward the future. Let's start this journey of change together." President Yoon Suk Yeol also attended the PPP's national convention for the second consecutive year and said, "We are a community bound by destiny on the same boat, and we are one," emphasizing the need for unity and solidarity between the party and the government. The PPP's next leader will define the tone for relations between the conservative party and the Yoon administration, both reeling from the liberal Democratic Party's (DP) landslide victory in the April 10 general election. Han is confident that he can restore relations between the party and government through active communication and debate. He is known as the president's close confidant. Before entering politics, he was a key figure in the Yoon administration, often called President Yoon's "crown prince." In May 2022, Yoon appointed Han as the youngest Justice Minister, and in December, Han emerged as a rescuer during the ruling party's crisis ahead of the general election. Despite close ties to Yoon dating from their time as prosecutors, Han's relations with the president reportedly faced a rocky patch after he became PPP interim leader. They clashed over issues including election nominations and the handling of allegations that first lady Kim Keon Hee accepted a luxury bag from a pastor. Another urgent task is overcoming the aftermath of the convention. The heated competition strained relations with Na, Won and many current lawmakers. There are concerns about whether Han can effectively lead in a non-cooperative environment. Han must also address pressing legislative issues. With the DP pushing for various bills, such as amendments to the labor and broadcasting bills, in addition to special counsel probes into a young Marine's death and the first lady, Yoon is likely to exercise his veto. Meanwhile, current lawmakers Ihn Yo-han, a naturalized Korean, Jang Dong-hyuk and Kim Min-jeon and former lawmaker Kim Jae-won were elected to the PPP's Supreme Council. Korean pistol shooting legend Jin Jong-oh was elected as the youth Supreme Council member. Rep. Na, a five-term female lawmaker who placed second in the 2021 party leadership race behind Lee Jun-seok, failed again to overcome Han. However, despite the opposition's landslide victory in the April general election, Na won against the DP's Ryu Sam-young in Seoul's Dongjak constituency. Won Hee-ryong, who served as minister of land, infrastructure and transport under the Yoon administration, reached the top four in the last presidential primary but finished fourth. He lost to then-DP chief Lee Jae-myung in Incheon's Gyeyang constituency in April and was also unsuccessful in this election. Although Yoon Sang-hyun finished fourth in the vote, he avoided severe clashes and thus suffered the least political damage. BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]